327 expertise required...

03cts sport · Uber Guru

327 expertise required...

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

One option is to leave well enough alone. I never owned a small block that didn't eventually puff a bit of smoke on start up.

65 SD L79 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

We put the 350 3 speed in my brothers 64 SD and now want to go to a 4 speed auto. If I were you I would go direct to the 4 speed. I know $$$$ are a concern but there are a few companys out there that build them with a warranty. Nice low 1st and an overdrive at the top.They make a shift indicator that will do in your console.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

73SC wrote:

One option is to leave well enough alone. I never owned a small block that didn't eventually puff a bit of smoke on start up.

I vote the same as Ray

enjoy it as it was built You can put valve seals in quite inexpensively.. GM made a winner in 275 & 350 hp 327's The guys make a good points on going to 3 or 4 speed auto.. If the Glide is working, why spend the money?

-- Edited by 427carl on Tuesday 10th of November 2009 06:25:46 PM

cheetah 427 · Poncho Master!

my buddy just put a 700r4 in his 66 chevelle rag with a 327 and it was a real nice driver, pull the glide and you wont look back, well maybe at the guys with the glides lol, , i havent got the valve covers decals done yet but i will soon. i am puting a th400 with a gearvendor in my 66 sd rag, i lucked out and got the tranny and vendor for $500 , also installing a bbc 468 hyd roller instead of the 283, i never had the orig motor and tranny for my car so giddy up! lol

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

03cts sport wrote:

Knowing how much expertise there is on this site I thought I'd look for some feedback...

For the past 28 years or so, I have owned a '66 SD convertible with the numbers matching 275hp, 327. It was rebuilt once (25 years ago) and is now burning some blue on start up. (Valve seals maybe?) The engine is entirely original except for the carb which was changed 20+ years ago.
While a ground up restoration would be great, I am certainly not in the position to afford such a thing. Instead, the plan is to continue enjoying the car in the summer, while prioritizing areas of improvement. (On the immediate roadmap are a factory steering wheel, re-doing the vinyl seats and carpet, and replacing the 22 year old tires.) Although the car needs work, it is pretty much "all there" (with the exception of the original SD body molding, and the origninal AM radio being on the shelf.)

Currently my questions pertain to the engine. What should my "engine roadmap" be?...

Should I be looking for an original carb?
Should I be looking for whatever carb/intake manifold came with the higher output 327?
What are the differences between the 275hp and the 325hp engines?
I'm still running with the powerglide transmission. Should I store the 2 speed and upgrade to a 350 (or newer) transmission?

Any suggestions would be appreciated very much. Thx in advance.

PS I just recieved a 66 horn ring which I purchased on Kijiji and am very pleased with it's condition. Very, very nice shape! Lucked out!

My opinions---

-I would look for an original carb, even if it's just sitting on the shelf. I believe your car has exceptional value as an original car.

-The L79 327 was a much different engine. 2.02 heads, aluminum intake, Holley carb, different cam, higher compression pistons. Basically block and crank are shared with the 275 horse.

-Again, for the sake of numbers matching I would save the powerglide. I have the original glide for my 67 Nova SS 327 car. I will never use it but just in case...... I will run a TH350 because I love the 3 speed. Nothing wrong with a 4 speed auto either.

tc · Guru

Keep it original. Down the road you'll be glad you did.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Those small blocks are notorious for valve seals failing but it's a super easy fix. It's been a few years since I did my last one but I remember we just made up a spark plug adapter and held the valves up with compressed air. We were done in no time. You true mechanics probably have even a quicker way now. My engine was real strong but that puff of blue always bugged me. Instant fix.

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

My 67' 327 gives a little puff if left for a few days as well.

How about some of that seal swelling conditioner they make? No vacume here, but it once saved my arse from a large dollar main seal replacement on a Ford Crown Vic. Bought it at a quick lube, the owner said if it doesn't work in 2 days, I can have my money back. It actually worked, and the leak was a major one. Best $20 I ever spent. Drove the car for another 5 years leak free.

Are you still on points? If so, dump them asap for a new breakerless module.

03cts sport · Uber Guru

cdnpont wrote:

My 67' 327 gives a little puff if left for a few days as well.

How about some of that seal swelling conditioner they make? No vacume here, but it once saved my arse from a large dollar main seal replacement on a Ford Crown Vic. Bought it at a quick lube, the owner said if it doesn't work in 2 days, I can have my money back. It actually worked, and the leak was a major one. Best $20 I ever spent. Drove the car for another 5 years leak free.

Are you still on points? If so, dump them asap for a new breakerless module.

Yup, still on points. She's pretty original. What is the benefit of the breakerless module?

Thanks for all of the feedback folks. Sounds like significant differences between the 275hp and the higher performance one. I'll check my manual to see what the original carb was and check the availability. (From what I remember though, it wasn't much of a performer.)

ak 67sd · Poncho Master!

my first question would be, what are you goals with the car? faster? more driveability? city or highway? originality?...

i would say for sure find an original carb to put on the shelf...

when it comes to the glide vs. th350.... i had a 350hp 327 in my car with 3:73 rear gear and 3000 stall ...the th30 had a seat of pants feel that was faster but was the same as my glide!!! both ran 13.6s... if you were looking for highway OD trans, then definitely go with a 200r4 it is a better swap for our cars than the more popular 700r4! better first gear and same length as the glide (so you dont have to cut your driveshaft). Tranny shops prefer the 700 because its more common....

if you want more power, what is your rear gear? convertor? these are key to unharness a 327! if you want to change cams, stay away from old tech like l79 etc.etc. and go to new tech like the lunati voodoo 60202 or 03... you'll be leaving power on the table with 40 year old designs... most importantly is to have your distributor dialed in by someone who specializes in them, and going electronic isnt a bad idea, but only once you have your combo decided, so that you know what you want for initial, and 'all-in' timing at what rpm... i had to retune my accell dual point after almot every drive to optmize performance i'd pull it, put in on my distributor dyno set it up and back on the car and the quick revs were great... then have a quadrajet rebuilt by sean at smi... these carbs will outperform pretty much anything under 600hp...especially on the street...

so, what is it that you want to accomplish? the options are endless!

65 SD L79 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/

03cts sport · Uber Guru

ak 67sd wrote:

my first question would be, what are you goals with the car? faster? more driveability? city or highway? originality?...

i would say for sure find an original carb to put on the shelf...

when it comes to the glide vs. th350.... i had a 350hp 327 in my car with 3:73 rear gear and 3000 stall ...the th30 had a seat of pants feel that was faster but was the same as my glide!!! both ran 13.6s... if you were looking for highway OD trans, then definitely go with a 200r4 it is a better swap for our cars than the more popular 700r4! better first gear and same length as the glide (so you dont have to cut your driveshaft). Tranny shops prefer the 700 because its more common....

if you want more power, what is your rear gear? convertor? these are key to unharness a 327! if you want to change cams, stay away from old tech like l79 etc.etc. and go to new tech like the lunati voodoo 60202 or 03... you'll be leaving power on the table with 40 year old designs... most importantly is to have your distributor dialed in by someone who specializes in them, and going electronic isnt a bad idea, but only once you have your combo decided, so that you know what you want for initial, and 'all-in' timing at what rpm... i had to retune my accell dual point after almot every drive to optmize performance i'd pull it, put in on my distributor dyno set it up and back on the car and the quick revs were great... then have a quadrajet rebuilt by sean at smi... these carbs will outperform pretty much anything under 600hp...especially on the street...

so, what is it that you want to accomplish? the options are endless!

Good question. In a nutshell, I think I want drive-ability without negatively affecting the value of the car considering it is a numbers matching 327 (albiet not mint). With the trannie this sounds somewhat as simple as puting the powerglide on the shelf and not losing it. Engine mods don't sound quite so cookie-cutter, and therefore it might be best left completely stock. It almost sounds like if I want performance, the 327 should go on the shelf as well. (If it were not numbers matching, I would be all for modding it.)
Thx for the input. Lots to chew on...

-- Edited by 03cts sport on Wednesday 11th of November 2009 10:05:06 AM

ak 67sd · Poncho Master!

yeah i would hate to beat up on a #'s motor, when its just really as simple as putting on a stand in the corner and building something else...with some better parts (like better cylinder heads) if you want more power... one thing you may want to look into are the umbrella style valve seals (i believe they were a more common ford part), that slide over the valve, i used those on my old 327...i think they were more durable than the little o-rings...

ak

03cts sport · Uber Guru

When it comes time to again replace my exhaust, would you suggest headers (and tuck away the stock manifold)?

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

If you want power, go headers.

If you want quiet, no maintenance, much cooler under the hood, go manifolds.

Personally, I hate headers. They always seem to leak...

eeluddy · Uber Guru

My 2 cents; For performance & driveability get a late model 350 with a 700r or a 200r overdrive.
A Vortec type or a L89 makes good reliable horsepower for cheap bucks. Coupled with overdrive you will get to enjoy the car even more while retaining the original powertrain to be rebuilt at a later date.

Steve C · Guru

L79 (350/325 hp) uses a larger harmonic balancer that would require the proper 8" timing cover and the crank is machined to accept a retaining bolt. The 275hp is a smaller press on balancer and the crank is normally not threaded. The l79 pcv system works in reverse to the 275hp, it draws from the oil filler neck and is vented to the air cleaner from the back of the engine. The intake is hard to come by in good shape. You have to be carefull that the cooling passages are not pitted and threads stripped etc. The carb is supposed to be a holley 585 vac secondary that is still available new from holley for around $700 or so. Used ones come up but are not cheap. Different heads / compression /cam etc. There are many differences between these two engines. It's not a simple conversion.

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

Carl Stevenson wrote:

If you want power, go headers.

If you want quiet, no maintenance, much cooler under the hood, go manifolds.

Personally, I hate headers. They always seem to leak...

327 question When I bought my Ventura II last year, the previous owner, had just paid someone, to fix a leak on Headman headers.. After driving the heck out it of it this year (almost 100 miles), the left side blew out at 1 spot.. Should I be installing stock manifolds?, and which would I look for (if I decided to go that way) 2.5 would be the desirable like corvette? I have more questions (later) C2

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

You really can have your cake and eat it too! CLICK HERE

Steve C · Guru

I believe the 2.5" corvette manifolds were only available in the "ram horn" style. I know if you had an L79 in a 65 or 67 chevelle / beaumont you had to use the same manifolds as the 275 hp 327 and the 283 due to frame and suspension design. The 66 Nova didn't have this issue and used the same as the corvette.........Headers are a pain.

03cts sport · Uber Guru

69Laurentian wrote:

You really can have your cake and eat it too! CLICK HERE

Cool. Thanks for sharing.

Re the original carb that came with the 275hp 327, does anyone know which one it was? It looks like (page 6-10 of the 66 Beaumont Chasis Shop Manual) the engine came with either a Roch 4MV, a Carter AVS, or a Holley 4160? Any thoughts on how to narrow it down?
thx

Steve C · Guru

The parts manual may be a better bet. You will probably need to add a little more info. The production date and manual or automatic? Is this in a Beaumont?

Steve C · Guru

1966 Rochester for 327 7026202 auto with out a.i.r. , 7026203 std w/o a.i.r. 7036202 auto with a.i.r. 7036203 std with a.i.r.. I could only find Rochester carb for a 1966 beaumont 275hp 327 in the parts manual. Unless I am missing something.

ak 67sd · Poncho Master!

i havent had too much problem with headers in 22 years... i used the cheapest gaskets too... and i dont use any gaskets at the collector, they seal fine without... you could spend some $ on the soft copper gaskets... i do find that i tighten the header bolts a few times a year, i suppose you dont have to do that with manifolds...

ak